Locum pharmacists 'could reduce care home treatment errors'
Monday 6th September 2010
A study has revealed that locum pharmacists could help reduce medication errors in care homes if they are given the responsibility of running the system at the facility.
According to a four-month pilot scheme of a programme recommended by Nick Barber, professor of pharmacy at London University, mistakes can fall by 91 per cent if such action is taken, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Earlier this year, Mr Barber found that, on any given day, 70 per cent of patients were faced with at least one treatment blunder, which he deemed "unacceptably high".
Now, supervisor of the latest trial Dr Graham Stretch has said that there is no doubt a competent pharmacist would be able to drive improvements if they were employed for half a day every month in a care home.
This comes after health secretary Nicola Sturgeon launched a new scheme in Scotland that will see the roles of people with pharmacy jobs expanded.
Written by Mathew Horton
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